The newly restored and renovated Old Main received several awards in the month of May. Rodney Mackey, associate director of Planning Design and Construction at the UA, said working on the building was a powerful experience. "It's a great final product, and it was an honor to work on it." (Photo: Beatriz Verdugo/UANews)

Old Main Renovation Wins Several Awards

The iconic campus building received several honors during May in acknowledgment of its renovation and restoration.

University Relations - Communications

May 20, 2015

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The planning, design and construction team responsible for the most comprehensive renovation of Old Main in the building's history received four awards during May.

On May 15, the team was presented with a 2015 Governor's Heritage Preservation Award, which is granted in partnership by the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office and the Arizona State Parks in recognition of those that "represent outstanding achievements in preserving Arizona's prehistoric and historic resources."

"Whenever you produce a project, you always hope for the best and strive to complete all of the goals. Old Main is the oldest University building and an icon. To be honored is gratifying," said Rodney Mackey, associate director of Planning, Design and Construction at the UA.

"We wanted the building to be beautiful, and we wanted people to be proud of it," Mackey said. "All of that is demonstrated through these awards."

During the awards ceremony, which was held during the annual Arizona Historic Preservation Conference, it was announced that Old Main also had won the Grand Award.

"The beautiful restoration of Old Main has allowed it to reclaim its rightful place as the hub of the UA campus and as a source of pride to everyone in our community," said UA President Ann Weaver Hart. "Rodney Mackey, Corky Poster and the many other people who helped make their vision a reality richly deserve accolades for the building’s preservation and design."

Earlier in the month, the team received the Tucson-Pima County Historical Commission's Historic Preservation Award. The award recognized the team's exceptional work on the building's shell, exterior, verandas and central hallways. The commission praised the team's work in bringing the building to its original grandeur, while also incorporating 21st-century standards of energy efficiency.

Also, the Old Main project won a Design Build Award granted by the Design-Build Institute of America's Western Pacific region, which encompasses Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada. The team will be honored Thursday at a banquet to be held in Newport Beach, California.

"All members of the project team should be very proud to have been a part of such an exemplary project," the institute noted in its congratulatory letter.

Mackey also credited the work of Lorna Gray, who served as construction project manager for Planning, Design and Construction.

"We partnered up from the very beginning to deliver the project, and the project would not be what it is without her involvement," said Mackey, who served as the design project manager.

"It was a fantasy project for every single one of us, like a culmination of an entire career," Mackey said of working on the restoration. "We are very gratified that the building is being recognized. That's pretty powerful."